


Darkdown's Monument

by Vae



Category: Band Sinister - K. J. Charles
Genre: Canon Compliant, Multi, Post-Canon, background Amanda Frisby/David Martelo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:41:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21802345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vae/pseuds/Vae
Summary: John constructs a characteristic and multipurpose monument in Corvin's grounds. It's all Amanda's fault, of course.
Relationships: Lord Corvin/Guy Frisby/John Raven/Philip Rookwood
Comments: 35
Kudos: 104
Collections: Yuletide 2019





	Darkdown's Monument

**Author's Note:**

  * For [toujours_nigel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/toujours_nigel/gifts).



> thanks to GoSeaward and FairestCat for beta reading - all remaining mistakes are entirely my responsibility.

"Of course, it wasn't easy finding flat land for it," Corvin said airily, leading the way down the curved steps. "So, I just had them put sort of slopes here and here so the middle bit could be flat enough."

"By which he means he waved a hand at it and left it to me and his landscape designer to make it happen," John put in, long suffering tone deeply familiar to Philip.

"And you took it out of his arse later, I've no doubt," Philip said, following Corvin and John carefully. The steps were probably easier to navigate than the slopes, but not by much, and not when there were six people trying to get down them, at least four of whom were quite eager to see what lay at the bottom. (David was almost certainly humouring Amanda, and John sounded like he had already seen enough of it while directing the engineering efforts needed to turn Corvin’s demands into reality.)

Guy, without a trace of subtlety, pinched the back of Philip's arm. "My sister's here."

"And doubtless wouldn't care even if she could hear us," Philip said, turning to look back over his shoulder with a smile. Guy looked a lot less worried about his sister overhearing than his voice had sounded. "Honestly, I'm amazed David's even letting her attempt these steps."

"It's been over a year and he says it's good exercise for her." Guy glanced back towards Amanda and David, a good ten steps behind them. "Do you think Corvin might have a handrail put in?"

"Only if he thinks it's his idea," Philip said dryly, took the next turn, and stopped dead, immediately wishing for that handrail when Guy bumped straight into his back. "Good God."

"What is it?" Guy asked, hand lingering on Philip's shoulder for much longer than was necessary to merely regain his balance. "I can't see."

"Right, yes." Philip patted Guy's hand before moving down another couple of steps, enough to let Guy around the corner and enough to be further down so Guy could see over his shoulder.

Guy also stopped, staring. "Oh my _God_."

"Precisely," Philip agreed.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Corvin called back, gleeful. "It was all Amanda's idea, of course. She's a marvellous woman."

"What was my idea?" Amanda caught up, David just behind her with one hand hovering protectively close to her waist. "Guy, move, I can't see my idea."

"Sometimes that is for the best," David said, catching Amanda's elbow before it could make contact with his midriff. "Gently, my love."

"You wouldn't love me if I was gentle," Amanda retorted.

In order both to move out of earshot of married flirting and to allow Guy to follow his sister's instructions, Philip started walking again, heading down towards the plain and the rock-solid evidence of Amanda's idea laid out in the centre. "I don't suppose she's sent you the manuscript of her new book yet?"

"Not yet," Guy said, staying close behind Philip. "I don't know if there's anything else like this in there."

"God, I hope not," Philip said, under his breath. "I don't think John has the patience for any more landscaping projects."

In the sheltered area surrounded by a raised ring of grassy land, there was a large, imposing stone circle. Philip had never seen the famous circle on Salisbury Plain and had no idea of the proper names for the large pillars of stone or the slabs laid over the tops of them, but he'd seen pictures. The rough archways looked very similar to those pictures, though in rather better repair.

"I'm beginning to have suspicions about what we might find in the middle of that," Guy said. "Especially if it really is Amanda's idea."

"Be fair, beloved, I don't think she actually worked with John on the design," Philip said. At least, he was fairly sure of that, but _The Secret of Darkdown_ had been explicit enough in its description of Darkdown's primitive altar.

"So it's Amanda's idea with Corvin's elaborations." Guy moved past Philip, his shoulders squared as if bracing himself for what they'd find.

"Well, if you put it that way..." Philip caught up to Guy, falling into step. "I think we're safe from shrinking damsels tied to rocks."

"Shrinking doesn't really seem Corvin's style," Guy agreed.

Corvin was already passing through the circle of stones. John had stopped, head tipped back to look up at the stones, with the kind of expression that suggested to Philip that he was contemplating all the ways in which he considered the finished scene imperfect.

"Please don't tell me you're thinking of adding more," Philip said, pausing next to John as a shriek of delight came from the steps behind him. Amanda had clearly finally seen the product of her imagination cast, as it were, in stone.

"Oh, it's perfect! V, it's perfect! David, help me down these steps, I have to see!"

Guy groaned and touched his forehead to Philip's shoulder for the briefest moment. "What have we done?"

"We haven't done anything," Philip said, glad to disavow responsibility for once. "This is all on Corvin. And John. And, possibly, Amanda."

"Don't go blaming me," John said swiftly. "You don't want to know what his original ideas were. As it is there are rings to hold torches on those damned menhirs."

"Those what?" Philip enquired.

"Menhirs," Guy said. "The, ah, standing stones. From the French, I think."

"Those ones are only from Derbyshire," John said, sighed, and started walking towards the circle again as Amanda passed them, still gathering speed and trailing David. "And they're menhirs because I don't want to give Corvin the excuse to make comments about the size of his standing stones. Or anyone else's."

Philip's lips twitched as he attempted to suppress a smile, purely out of sympathy for the long-suffering tone of John's voice. "Has he been so very unbearable?"

"He's paid for all of it," John said firmly. "And I did have my revenge."

They passed through the circle of stones to see that, yes, there was indeed a large, flat stone laid out in the very centre, exactly the sacrificial altar of Amanda's imagination. Amanda was sitting on the side of it, sparkling up at David and Corvin, both of whom were clearly enjoying her appreciation in their own ways. Beyond the altar, before the other side of the circle, six smaller standing stones had been arranged in an arc with a shorter, broader one a little further around on the right.

Philip stared at it, glancing back only when Guy gave a crack of laughter. "Oh, you didn't."

"Oh, I did," John agreed with a grin. "Have you seen it yet, Phil? V took it better than I expected him to."

"He usually does," Philip said lightly, and studied the arrangement for a moment longer before light dawned. "John, is that damned altar stone a _palm_?"

"It most certainly is." John clapped his hand on Philip's shoulder, leaving it resting there, warm and steady. "Anyone sacrificed there will be held securely in the Viscount's right hand."

"Well, you're not sacrificing me there," Philip said firmly. "I don't care how warm it is, that's stone, and stone is not exactly comfortable for most activities."

"Spoilsport." Guy flashed Philip a quick smile, then headed towards the altar and his sister, reaching out to shake Corvin's hand in appreciation of his newly acquired monument.

Philip stayed back with John, watching Guy and the others. "I mean it, you know, we're not going to fuck on that monstrosity."

John shrugged and squeezed Philip's shoulder. "It's not so bad, with enough blankets and cushions. The walk back up the steps afterwards is a pain, though."

Philip winced, more at the thought than the squeeze. "So a summer morning location, then?"

"With enough time to recover before having to climb back in darkness, yes," John said, his lip curling in a way that suggested to Philip that he and Corvin had most definitely tested out the theory. "Is Guy still pretending that his sister doesn't know we're all sleeping together?"

"Technically, we're not all sleeping together," Philip drawled, eyes still on Amanda and Corvin. There was bouncing. "V's bed isn't big enough for that. We tried. Guy fell out."

"He should have cuddled closer," John retorted. "Anyway, that's not what I meant and you know it."

"Oh, I know it," Philip agreed. Guy had sat down next to Amanda on the stone altar - there really was no other word for it - and was patting it in a considering kind of way. "And yes. Guy’s absolutely comfortable with her knowing that he and I are together, thank goodness, but he’s not ready to admit she knows that things go rather further than that."

"Not yet, anyway," John said and released Philip's shoulder, giving him a gentle (for John) shove to start him walking towards the others. "I live in fear that our depravity will feature in her next novel, and then he’d have no room left for denial."

Philip opened his mouth to deny that it was depravity, considered Corvin's reaction, and shut it again until he'd thought of something else to say. "Well, she's still family. I hope she'd give Guy warning, at least."

"I suppose," John said, grudging. "Corvin! Has that wretched stone of yours warmed up yet?"

"Perfectly," Corvin said, glowing with satisfaction and pride. "Well, Phil? What do you think?"

Philip glanced at Amanda and moderated his instinctive reaction. "I think it's absolutely preposterous and it suits you immensely. How on earth did you convince John?"

"I demanded an Indian temple and then suggested this as an alternative while he was still spluttering," Corvin said. "We referred back to the book quite a lot. Next time, Mrs. Martelo, A Lady should include architectural plans for her dramatic monuments. Every one of them."

Amanda gave a gurgle of laughter, entirely unoffended, and held her hand out to David to be helped up to her feet. "If you'd told me you were planning this I could have sent you sketches."

"Be grateful she did not," David said hastily. "Her talents do not lie in the artistic sphere."

"Wretch," Amanda said comfortably, and patted her husband's arm. "Mr. Raven says I'm getting much better."

"You did not start from a position of skill," John put in. "But yes, you are improving."

Guy grinned, his eyes bright, and Philip remembered the discussion of Amanda's old drawing master. "But your sketches of Darkdown's stones were before you ever met John."

"I still made sketches," Amanda protested. "From several angles, even. I had to be sure that Araminta would be able to see in."

"Well, she wouldn't be able to see into this one," Corvin said. "I did want to be accurate, but John thought it might be better if one couldn't see into the circle from the steps."

"Because he has met you before," David said dryly. "And knows what you might be doing in there."

"Oh?" Amanda turned a fascinated look towards David. "Really?"

"Not sacrificing virgins," Philip said. "And not enjoying the sun."

"There is rather too much of it today," Corvin admitted. "And it is midday. For most of the day, there's shade from the outer stones."

Guy turned, looking around at the circle, head tilted to one side in consideration. "All the way to the centre stone?"

"Well, no, that would rather defeat the point," Corvin said. "That one's for use by torchlight, obviously."

"Obviously," Amanda agreed, nudging her brother as she went past him to take hold of one of the iron rings embedded on the inside of each of the menhirs. "These are to hold the torches, aren't they?"

"Precisely," Corvin said, slightly too quickly for Philip to believe him. It was entirely possible that the rings had been intended to hold torches, but there were many other things - and individuals - that could be fastened to such a solid ring at such a convenient height. "One needs a lamp to get down the steps, of course, and then something to light the torches with - oh, John, we should have a brazier. Can we add a brazier somewhere inside the circle?"

"No," John said firmly. "You'd manage to set fire to yourself somehow, and you never come here in winter anyway."

"I might, if I had a brazier to keep me warm and to light torches from," Corvin retorted. "Just picture it: a chill winter evening, the moon high and shining onto the altar, the stars bright, the flames of the torches leaping, the brazier burning away..."

"The viscount complaining about his cold toes," Philip added, remembering Corvin's last romantic flight of fancy.

Corvin - there was no other word for it - pouted. "You have no soul, Phil."

"I most certainly do, and it's enjoying the summer sunshine." Philip gave Corvin a warm smile. "Amanda, do stop getting ideas from Corvin, I'm fairly sure the two of you are a bad influence on each other."

From the expression on her face, Amanda was also having thoughts about what else could be done with the iron rings. Philip could only hope they were ideas that would find homes purely in fiction, unless David's tastes had changed dramatically since his marriage.

"An author takes inspiration wherever she finds it." Amanda reached up to adjust the tilt of her hat.

"Quite right, too," Corvin said, brushing her hand out of the way to set her hat brim to a more fetching angle. "Would she care to find inspiration in some luncheon? I've asked the cook to prepare something we can eat out here."

"Goodness, yes, I'm famished." Amanda beamed and put her hat back exactly where it had been before Corvin touched it, shading her face.

Philip didn't bother to suppress his smile, turning his attention to Guy again, watching as Guy made a slow circuit of the inside of the circle. "What do you think, Guy? Will it stand the weather?"

"It wouldn't keep the rain out." Guy came back to Philip, his stance easy and relaxed. "Although I don't think that's going to be a problem today."

"It's rather idyllic, isn't it?" Philip looped his arm around Guy's shoulders, secure in the knowledge that no one present would object and that Corvin's servants were used to far worse. "Would you really want to be sacrificed on that altar?"

Guy glanced in Amanda's direction, safely out of earshot. "Well, maybe not sacrificed. But it does have a certain appeal."

"Then we shall have to explore that," Philip told him, inwardly delighted by how easily Guy expressed his interests at last. "Just you and I?"

"I don't think John's convinced," Guy said, looking over to John and Corvin by the altar stone again.

"Oh, don't be fooled, beloved, he could easily be convinced as long as he's not the one who has to lie on the thing," Philip said lightly, stroking Guy's shoulder with his fingertips. "And I believe that David intends to take your sister inside for a rest after we eat, and I'm fairly sure that Corvin's simply dying for a chance to play the dastardly Lord Darkdown. So, if you'd care to be plundered on the altar, that could be arranged."

Pink rose swiftly in Guy's face, and he turned to face away from his sister. "Out here?"

"Out here is where the altar is," Philip agreed, brushing the back of his fingers against the heat of Guy's cheek for a brief moment before dropping his hand back down to Guy's shoulder. "It wouldn't really be convenient to move it, I should imagine that it weighs several tons."

"No, I mean..." Guy looked back towards the altar stone as if his gaze were drawn there by the mention. "Wouldn't someone see?"

"I would," Philip said. Philip seeing was rather the point, after all. "And Corvin would, and John would. David and Amanda would be safely inside."

"But anyone might come along," Guy protested.

"On Corvin's land? I don't think so." It certainly didn't appear to be an area of the grounds much in need of gardeners, although Philip would admit to not being an expert on the subject. "But we could always ask him. You don't have to, Guy. If the idea doesn't appeal to you..."

"Well, it's not that the idea doesn't," Guy said slowly, every thought, every hesitation and every conflicting emotion clear on his expressive face. "But I don't know if the reality would. Does that make sense?"

"Perfectly," Philip assured him. "If you ever do want to try it, though, do let me know. We could stop if you decided you didn't like it after all."

"We could, couldn't we?" Guy took a deep breath, and the warmth of his hand slid over Philip's back for a moment. "Maybe when Amanda and David have gone home. If you're sure the gardeners wouldn't end up seeing."

"Given V's hiring requirements for staff, I suspect that the gardeners either know to keep well away from anywhere that he's got company, or they're busy fucking each other in the bushes," Philip said firmly. "Is that a thing, do you think? Do people really fuck in bushes?"

"I don't know what they might do here, but they don't back home," Guy said, still pink. "They're not really very comfortable, I don't think. Amanda tried to hide in one when we were tiny and mostly got tangled up in it, I can't imagine there'd be space for anyone fully grown, never mind two of them in, um, motion."

"In motion," Philip repeated, enjoying that the brightness in Guy's eyes fully acknowledged the lack of need for modesty even as the colour of his cheeks flared at even that much daring in words. "Well, maybe the gardeners aren't in motion in the bushes, then, though I'd think if anyone could shape a bush to have space to fuck in it would be Corvin's gardeners. Either way, they're really not going to be paying any attention to what's happening out here."

"Still, Amanda might be." Guy held up a hand at Philip's protests. "No, she _might_ , because she doesn't like resting and we do tend to lose track of time when we're all together."

Philip raised his eyebrows. "Beloved, have you considered that perhaps Amanda's rest might be just as much a euphemism as your sacrifice would be?"

Guy's eyes widened, beautifully shocked. "Philip!"

"I know, Guy, she's your sister and you probably don't want to think about it, but she is at least trying to accept the fact that you have intimacy in your life. You might like to do the same for her." Philip shifted, turning to look over towards the steps. "Ah, and there's our luncheon. I do hope you're hungry."

"Not as much as I was five minutes ago," Guy said faintly. "Though at least I don't have to worry about anything, um, showing, when we start walking."

Philip laughed, squeezed Guy's shoulder, and turned them both towards the circle again, prompting Guy to start walking in the direction of the altar that was very probably going to serve as a table for their lunch. "Such a shame, John and V would probably have enjoyed that."

"I wouldn't," Guy said frankly. "Not with Amanda there."

"Of course." Philip patted Guy's shoulder, then pulled back as they reached the outer circle. "Come and eat lunch from V's monumental hand, then, and we can save anything else for later. Ah, V, Guy and I were just discussing the skills of your gardeners."

"Yes, I shall have to speak to them about the shocking lack of climbable trees," Corvin said, waving the servants towards the altar with their hampers. "Apparently leaving the lower branches on means that they get in the way of something or other. Good lord, Guy, are you alright?"

If Guy had gone any pinker he would probably have started glowing. "Just... the sun. It's very warm."

"It is, isn't it?" Philip agreed, unable to resist. "Perhaps the shade of some bushes?"

"I don't know what you're being horrid about, but you're clearly being quite horrid in some way I can't understand," Amanda said severely. "Guy, come and sit with me, there's a bit of shade near this stone and it's quite cool on this side."

"Enough for me to join you?" Philip asked, as Guy started towards Amanda. "I promise not to be at all horrid."

"No, you don't," Corvin said serenely. "You never do. Or you promise and then you're horrid anyway and we wouldn't have you any other way."

Philip turned to John in appeal. "John, am I such a monster?"

"A veritable Falconwood in the flesh," John said gravely, and luncheon began with teasing and laughter, safe together in the centre of the monument to the book that had brought them all together.


End file.
